You Love Me unpacked a hypocrisy that exists across the world at large.

The short film aimed to speak directly to the root of this issue, by begging the question, “You love Black culture but do you love me?”

It depicts larger-than-life Black celebrities standing shoulder to shoulder with everyday Black people, shedding light on the centuries-long hypocrisy that America loves Black culture but fails to respect the lives behind it. The intro sequence and Act 1 speaks on an outsider’s gaze and worship of Black art, athletics, and aesthetics, then moving into Act 2, which recalls a history of hate and violence toward Black people. From there, the third act’s narration turns toward self-love and love of others in the Black community, plainly declaring that, “Love me or not, we love each other deeply.”

In building this homage to Black defiance, the sonic narrative was driven by the reimagining and referencing of familiar components in Black music. The first act is shaped by solace and repetition, embodied in a singular driving baseline that is carried throughout the piece – signifying the repetitive nature constituting Black humanity. This is juxtaposed with otherworldly synthesizers that demonstrate the alien relationship Black America must endure in their homeland. In the second act these components are built on by the commanding signal of 808 drums that signify the defiant sound of booming bass. This moment is separated by a moment of clarity where the tradition of a Black church choir sets the stage for a near biblical ascension by our characters in the final act. The final act is then defined by a chorus of triumphant horns and an increase in tempo where all of the musical elements in the previous acts vibrate in concert with one another.

While the idea was birthed from the struggles happening in America, the message spread across the globe in a way that showed how this struggle exists beyond geographic boundaries.

Traditional media efforts were centered around NBA and NFL broadcasts, where we aired a :30 version of this piece. Chosen moments included the NBA Draft and then focused on high-profile Thanksgiving Day NFL games, speaking to and provoking a primarily white audience captivated by Black culture.

Knowing the powerful message contained within the 2-minute long-form video, digital media focused on generating as many views as possible on YouTube. The goal was to reach key audiences across this platform as well as on Twitter. The Twitter effort was synced to our key TV pulses, allowing capture of second-screeners. The Twitter creative was a 30-second clip introducing the message's thesis to TV viewers using Twitter during these moments, encouraging them to watch the full video on YouTube.